BENGALURU: In case you are interested in a weekend getaway, then visiting Jayamahal Palace Hotel would be a good idea for a sip of wine.The Karnataka Wine Board along with the Department of
Horticulture on Friday inaugurated the three day festival- Grovers Zampa or the International Wine Festival 2019. The event last took place in 2017.
The event will see wine tasting, grape stomping, live music with the likes of Lagori and Swarathma, as well as international acts, food stalls, and a flea market as well. Over 200 brands are taking part in the event with more than 20 stalls set up. “The event is aimed at the farmers and the growth of wineries in Karnataka. The highlight of this event is bringing in a separate status for wine tourism,”T Somu, Managing Director, Karnataka Wine Board told The New Indian Express.
The event will see many varieties of wine such as red, white, sparkling and dessert wine. “Earlier, there were only 500 acres for grape farming ... but now that has increased to 2,000 acres since 2017,” Somu said, adding that the two-year delay was due to approvals from the board to conduct the festival.
The festival is being conducted in four districts this year — Bengaluru Urban, Dharwad, Udupi and Belagavi. The board is also expecting to conduct the festival next year as well to promote wineries in the state which now has 17 wineries.
Parthiban from the marketing team of Big Banyan are selling 11 varieties of wine. “Wines are in huge demand now. As of now,Ampersand Red is very popular,”he said.Karnataka has seen fourfold growth in cultivation of wine grape during the past six years —from 500 acres to 2,000 acres. During this
period, the state has also emerged as the second largest producer of wine grape and wine after Maharashtra.